Ghostbusters' Opening Weekend Might Make Some People Really Happy

It's been a bit of an uphill climb for Paul Feig's Ghostbusters reboot, what with the various criticisms and complaints that have peppered the film's path to its July 15th release date in the U.S. But throughout that path, it always seemed as if there would be an eventual victory for the modern counterpart to the 1984 classic. Well, that victory looks like it's going to be hard fought, as the opening weekend estimates are in, and between $40 and $50 million looks to be the not-so magic range for the hotly discussed film.

The North American tracking figures hit The Hollywood Reporter early this evening, and the $40 - $50 million range was reported to be the picture that Ghostbusters seems to be painting, based on early data. Now this could change between now and July, but considering the film has a $154 million price tag for production alone, it looks like the film will have to depend on the long run to become a profitable enterprise. Which is interesting, considering The Enterprise is exactly what might take a big chunk out of its audience in week 2 of general release.

Star Trek Beyond is scheduled to open on July 22nd, just a week after Ghostbusters tries to prove to the world that it ain't afraid of no ghosts. What it might want to be afraid of though is the $70 million opening weekend that Star Trek Into Darkness racked up back in 2014, which may not be a direct analog to what Justin Lin's first spin in the franchise will bow to, but still indicates a close proximity guess. We'd go on a limb and say that between the brand recognition, as well as fans paying tribute to the late Anton Yelchin, the sci-fi action-adventure flick will start up a $65 million opening. Which means that if Ghostbusters falls prey to the usual "half-off" slump most big films suffer in their second weekend, it's looking at a comparative $20 - $25 million second frame.

Of course, with a tentpole like Ghostbusters, you would hope that your audience would front load itself in the first weekend, with the slow roll keeping it in the game for weeks after the initial impact. Which means, it's time to consider the hot topic of 2016's summer box-office: the international market. While we're not so sure how our global neighbors will react to Ghostbusters and all of its ghostly goodness, we do know of one country that will probably act as a stumbling block for the film's performance: China.

The same country that helped prop upWarcraft's $24.2 million domestic debut with $145 million in the first four days of release, is more than likely going to heavily edit, if not ban, the paranormal comedy. That's kind of what happens when your country bans supernatural elements being depicted in a film, and with no Chinese release date on the books just yet, we're wondering just how much the rest of the world will have to pitch in to keep the franchise alive.

The home stretch is in sight for Ghostbusters, with its July 15th release date looming in the balance. Let us know in the comments if you think this is a promising start, or the beginning of the end.